1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for notifying interested parties at a remote location of a current location and status of a vehicle, for notifying vehicle drivers of changes to their routes, and for providing vehicle fleet operators with detailed information on their vehicle fleet. More specifically, the present invention relates to a notification system that will provide a guardian or care giver advance notice of an approaching bus or of potential delays, that will provide bus drivers with notice of students who do not wish to be picked up, or are not present to be dropped off on a given day, and finally that will provide a school with detailed information about the routes, fuel consumption, and other data from their vehicle fleet.
2. Background
In many municipalities, school systems are required to provide children with transportation to and from school. Generally, this transportation is in the form of busing, where school buses pick up and deliver children along several bus routes. This system has a number of shortcomings. For instance, the arrival time of buses often varies due to traffic, inclement weather, and other delays. This inconveniences students who must ordinarily leave their homes well in advance of the actual arrival time of a bus. Guardians are inconvenienced as well, since they must awake earlier than necessary when they are unaware that the bus is going to be delayed. Similarly, guardians do not know exactly when a bus will arrive with their children in the afternoon, and if their children have arrived safely at home or at school.
In addition to students and guardians, the bus drivers and school system also lack important information such as which students do not desire to be picked up on a given day. Accordingly, bus drivers may unnecessarily pass by, or even wait at a bus stop when the students assigned to that stop do not plan to use the bus on that day.
In addition, the school system lacks a way to quickly assess the security, safety and status of their bus fleet. For instance, schools lack the ability to obtain current information regarding the position, speed, of their buses and status of the occupants while the bus is en route or afterwards.
Several devices and methods have been invented to notify a potential passenger of the impending arrival of a vehicle. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,325,057 to Bishop discloses a bus notification system wherein each bus transmitter emits a signal at a unique radio frequency to identify a specific bus. Each receiver is then tuned to the frequency corresponding to the bus transmitter and the length of time between notification and bus arrival is determined by adjusting the receiver's sensitivity. When the receiver acquires the bus transmission above the predetermined sensitivity threshold the notification system is activated. In this disclosure, the distance of the arriving bus is determined by the strength of the radio signal received from the bus. However, this system is limited in accuracy, and is prone to premature notifications. Obstructions in the wireless radio frequency path can reduce the signal strength thereby tricking the distance calculation by the receiver. Premature notification can arise if the bus route includes several streets that are in close proximity requiring the bus to double back to cover the streets.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,700,506 issued to Winkler, discloses a vehicle arrival system that enables passengers to know the precise arrival time of the transporting vehicle several minutes before its arrival. This system achieves its superior accuracy by using the Global Positioning System (GPS) as a means of estimating the position of a vehicle. Also, the system detects vehicle direction and speed which are used in conjunction with the vehicle's position to determine whether the vehicle has arrived at a specified stop. However, this system is limited in several ways. For instance, a passenger cannot use this system to notify a bus driver that he or she does not wish to be picked up. Accordingly, a bus driver will be forced to make unnecessary stops, wasting time and fuel, and putting unnecessary wear and tear on the bus. Also, users of this system can only receive notifications if they are nearby a receiving unit. Furthermore, the system does not provide a way for a guardian to determine if their child has arrived home safely. Additionally, the system does not provide for real time monitoring of a vehicle fleet. Finally, the system does not utilize in place communication networks such as the Internet or telephone networks.
Thus it is readily apparent that there is a long felt need for a robust transportation notification system which utilizes existing, cost effective, and widely deployed communication infrastructure including land line telephone networks, mobile telephone networks, and the Internet. Furthermore, there is a need for transportation notification system that alerts guardians if and when their children arrived home, enables passengers to easily notify vehicle drivers when they do not wish to be picked up, provides drivers with useful information including which passengers are to be picked up, and provides the fleet operator with useful fleet data.